Yesterday I saw “Friday Night Lights” starring Billy Bob Thornton. I remember when this movie came out it had rave reviews and everyone hailed it as one of the great sports movies of recent years.
I don’t see it. For one, I hated Peter Berg’s direction – was it a documentary? was it a film? Pick a genre and stick with it, Mr. Berg. Because of this uneven pacing and poor screenplay, I think this movie (based on a true story) was a big waste of time because I didn’t care about the characters at all, the football games weren’t compelling, and frankly, I didn’t care about the state championship game.
Had this movie been in someone else’s hands (Clint Eastwood?) I think it would have been outstanding. Billy Bob Thornton, usually someone I don’t enjoy watching, was great considering he wasn’t given a lot to work with. And I blame the director and the screenwriter.
1 1/2 out of five.
